THE next Dean of Guildford is to be the Ven. Robert (Bob) Cooper, the Archdeacon of Sunderland since 2018, Downing Street announced on Thursday.
Archdeacon Cooper succeeds the Very Revd Dianna Gwilliams, who retired a year ago (Gazette, 23 June 2023).
Born in Lancashire in 1968, Archdeacon Cooper obtained a degree in divinity at Aberystwyth, and studied at Lincoln Theological College, before he was ordained deacon in 1993 and priest the following year. He was an assistant curate in the diocese of Ripon & Leeds (now part of the diocese of Leeds), before becoming a school chaplain in Leeds, and then in Essex.
He was Vicar of St Matthew’s, Lightcliffe, in the former Wakefield diocese (now part of Leeds), from 1998 to 2005, and Vicar of St Giles and St Mary, Pontefract, until 2014. He was Rural Dean of Pontefract from 2006 to 2014, and Area Dean for the two years after before his appointment as Archdeacon.
Archdeacon Cooper is married to Kate Cooper and they have four children. He will be installed in Guildford Cathedral on 26 January. He is described as having a special interest in mission, church growth, and social justice, particularly prison chaplaincy.
He said of his appointment: “There is a fantastic mission potential in this town and diocese. . . While Guildford may have different issues and challenges to Durham, I look forward to continuing my focus in championing those people whose voices struggle to be heard, and ensuring the word of God inspires every connection and interaction the Cathedral has with our communities.”
Guildford Cathedral Chapter and developers have been seeking planning permission to build 124 new homes, including 94 flats, on land adjacent to the cathedral. The plans were dismissed on appeal in June (News, 14 June), after being rejected by Guildford Borough Council in March last year (News, 14 April 2023).
Proceeds from the sale of the site on Stag Hill were expected to generate about £270,000 per year for the cathedral. The Interim Dean, the Ven. Stuart Beake, told the BBC at the time of the appeal that it was unlikely that the cathedral would be able to “operate in the same way” as it had previously, and that an additional £150,000 was needed each year to cover the shortfall in meeting day-to-day costs.
He said: “Whilst naturally disappointed by the outcome, the cathedral Chapter is determined to carry on delivering the mission of the cathedral in the community.”